| The Idiot That Made Them a Genius | ||||
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A band named after smoking weed, with an album named after diarrhoea singing about masturbation. Very mature. Since their breakout success in 1994, following the release of Dookie, Green Day had begun to drift, a band without purpose. They had become the kids who had somehow learnt to get old without growing up, a punk band who had become accustomed to making jokes of the willies and poo variety. They were the band that refused to take themselves seriously. Following the release of the less than warmly received, yet underrated album Warning which limped in and out of the charts (it struggled to reach gold, whereas all previous albums since Kerplunk had all reached a status of at least platinum). It wasn't necessarily a bad album; it was the sound that signalled Green Day had lost their way in the bigger picture. It appeared as though Green Day was approaching the end of the line with their relevance being questioned and their popularity waning. Green Day did themselves no favours with the release of the compilation International Superhits! Traditionally a greatest hits compilation is released at the end of a group’s career. The Bush administration was arguably the best thing ever to happen to Green Day. Before, they were a band that lacked focus, drowning in their own immaturity, but they gave Green Day purpose. Bush's disastrous tenure had given rise to an outpouring of dissent from various sources, but nothing seemed to have the vast outreach that American Idiot provided. In all honesty nothing took on the shape of a madly ambitious rock opera. American Idiot was a concept album of epic proportions about the shortcoming of the American Dream, charting the decline and fall of the dream that had quickly become a nightmare. The protagonist of this opera was Jesus of Suburbia. An anti-hero who hated where he lived and those around him, desensitized by the post 9/11 state of mind, trying to make his way through the strange, bewildering America that surrounded him. Jesus of Suburbia reflected the mindset of a young generation fuelled by anger, disillusionment, heartbreak, frustration. It effectively conveyed the paranoia and fear of living in America.  With American idiot, it was Green Day's last throw of the dice, their career kamikaze so to speak. If they had got it wrong, they would have fallen flat on their faces, falling even further into obscurity. With American Idiot, there was nothing wrong with Green Day’s ambition, they had nothing to lose.American Idiot provided a political narrative, both noble in execution and intent, but angrily staying on point. Idiot reflected the darker times which it had come from; 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq and George Bush. The anger directed into this album was being used for a greater good. This was an album that was used to display the anti-war sentiment that had rippled throughout America. The album was a self–portrait of the age it was created in. Idiot painted an ugly portrait, but what justified it was that it was true. From the outset of the title track there was a display of outrage and criticism at the American mindset referring to issues such as paranoia, propaganda and manipulation of the media. It was angry and tenacious, but deadly on point, setting the mood and tone of the album. What followed was Jesus of Suburbia's journey through an America that was a stranger to itself. American Idiot became more than just a concept album, it was a political weapon that was wielded deadly and efficiently. It served as something more than just a good comeback album or a great collection of songs. Idiot served as the soundtrack for the end of the dream. Jesus of Suburbia reflected his rejected America. With the end of the intoxicating hangover came the death of the delirious expectations of the 'American Dreams'. For the first time Green Day had made a cohesive album of songs, something more than just a collection of songs. It was a rock opera fuelled by social and political turmoil, it was something of a first for Green Day, it was an album with purpose. The main reason for American Idiot's success was the timing. It came at a time when many young, politically informed, Americans had become disillusioned with the disaster that was the Bush Administration. Bush’s re-election for a second term gave American Idiot more potency than anyone could have anticipated. It was the spark for the powder keg full of political angst that blew Green Day up into the type of the band that no longer seemed to exist, a band which had somehow cast themselves as the loudspeaker of a generation. Jesus of Suburbia and his escapades in his messed up world may have provided the role of the 'American Idiot' in this punk styled 'Rock Opera'. He also provided the stroke of genius.
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 25 December 2009 23:12 ) |
